"You know, Steve, you're always complaining about your girlfriend," Marianne Etienne says, looking at Stevenson Vladimir. Upon hearing those words, Steve paused. The tall, dark-skinned, chubby but handsome Haitian security guard sighed. Truth be told, Stevenson had been telling Marianne stories for these past few months. Nevertheless, the lie-prone security guard had to be careful and maintain some degree of coherency in the fairy tales that he told her...
For a good portion of the summer, Stevenson Vladimir had been dating a young Nigerian Muslim woman named Jamila, and they had a great time together. Tall, busty, wide-hipped and big-bottomed, with gorgeously dark chocolate skin and neatly braided Black hair, Jamila was blessed in a lot of ways, and sex with her had been awesome. For this reason, Stevenson put up with a lot of shit from the bossy and entitled ( but fun in bed ) Jamila...
What Stevenson Vladimir didn't tell his new work-friend and fellow Haitian Marianne is that the lovely Jamila dumped his sorry ass, and quite unceremoniously at that. Calling her constantly, emailing her and texting her did nothing to dissuade her from axing him from her life. The Nigerian Muslim gal simply had enough of the silver-tongued Haitian stud who simply refused to let himself get wrapped around her little finger...
Stevenson Vladimir, who had high hopes for the West African cutie, was still not over her. Jamila could be difficult sometimes, but he really enjoyed having her in his life and in his bed. Especially his bed, come to think of it. Whenever Stevenson ran into Jamila at the University of Ottawa, he tried to holler but she simply couldn't get away from him fast enough. Total bummer...
"Relationships can be so complex with these university girls," Stevenson Vladimir replied, and he clasped his hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair. In the back of his mind, Stevenson knew that Jamila was gone for good, but part of him hoped that she would come back someday. Seated at the receptionist desk at Nova Technologies in the environs of Kanata, Ontario, Stevenson smiled at Marianne, as the cleaning lady stood before him.
"Tell me about it, I'd say relationships are complex in general, my husband Paul took my car this morning because his is in the shop," Marianne Etienne said with a sigh. Stevenson looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Marianne was fond of launching into long tirades about her hubby, whom Stevenson had of course never met.
Marianne Etienne, a tall, curvy, gorgeously dark-skinned, forty-something Haitian woman had been working as an overnight cleaning person for the Nova Technologies group in Kanata, Ontario, for years. Stevenson was the first Black male security guard that the company employed in ages, and he was also Haitian. The brother was friendly, smart, and easy on the eyes. If only she weren't married...
Oh Marianne, she of the boring stories and fantastic booty, Stevenson thought, smiling pleasantly at her. Marianne went on and on about her lazy husband, Paul somebody, and Stevenson smiled and nodded politely. What else could he do? The lady Marianne lamented the fact that since she started her cleaning duties at Nova Tech around eleven in the evening, and finished around two o'clock in the morning, getting home definitely wouldn't be easy...
"How are you getting home, mon amie?" Stevenson asked, feigning both interest and concern. Conversations with Marianne tended to be monologue-style, with him barely able to get a word in edgewise. Marianne licked her full lips, a rather distracting gesture, and paused for a moment. Stevenson peered at Marianne through analytical eyes behind his horn-rimmed glasses. He could practically see the wheels turning in her lovely head.
"I'm going to use Uber, got no choice," Marianne said softly, and Stevenson nodded, and then, pursed his lips before replying. Prior to coming to work at Nova Technologies for his midnight to noon security gig, Stevenson stopped at a Shawarma restaurant close to the Rideau Shopping Center in downtown Ottawa and got himself a chicken platter. Smiling, he unwrapped it, and a delicious smell wafted into the air.
"Marianne, mon amie, please, help yourself," Stevenson said evenly, and Marianne, after a brief hesitation, took a large piece of Lebanese-style chicken from the platter. Stevenson took a spoonful of rice and swallowed it, and the two work-friends ate in silence for a moment. Finally shut her up, Stevenson thought, smiling at Marianne while eating.
While a lot of security guards on the overnight shift either brought their lunch or ordered from Pizza Pizza, which stays open till three o'clock in the morning, Stevenson preferred to eat Lebanese food. A platter of rice, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, hummus and garlic would sustain him for the next twelve hours. This was much better fare than Pizza Pizza, that's for damn sure.
"Hmm, that was delicious, Stevenson, merci beaucoup, Shawarma is nice, but do you like Haitian food at all?" Marianne asked, licking her full and rather lovely lips. When Marianne did that, Stevenson felt a tingle...somewhere, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. While Stevenson liked to think of himself as calm, cool and collected in most situations, he did have his share of weaknesses.
Seriously, if Stevenson were totally honest with himself, he'd have to admit that he harbored some inappropriate thoughts whenever he looked at Marianne's big booty. Night after night, Marianne came to work, wearing whatever type of work-shirt she wore, plus the obligatory, boner-inducing Black Yoga pants that seemed to have been spray-painted on her thick thighs and gigantic round ass. Damn her...
"Haitian women don't like me," Stevenson said morosely, and Marianne fell silent, cocking an inquisitive, if surprised, eyebrow. Stevenson thought of the last Haitian gal he named, Annette June Anglade, whom he met at the Silver City movie theater back in the day. Annette June Anglade had been quite promising, but in the end, it hadn't worked out.
"Hmmm, Stevenson, I asked if you liked Haitian food, not Haitian women," Marianne said, giggling. Stevenson smiled, suddenly realizing what he'd just said. When his eyes met Marianne's, there was a glimmer of mischief and amusement in them. Open mouth and insert foot, Stevenson thought, absolutely mortified.
